Showing posts with label flavor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flavor. Show all posts

Saturday, October 24, 2015

GERMAN DINNER

Sauerbraten mit Rotkohl und Kartoffelklöße

Sauerbraten with red cabbage and potato dumplings
 


Sauerbraten


Sauerbraten is a beef roast, which rests in wine/ vinegar marinade for one week before cooking it.  It takes a little preparation and patience, but you will love the meat, because it becomes really soft and juice.

Ingredients for the marinade: 

2.5 lbs. Beef roast (shoulder piece)
2 Carrots
4 Celery stalks
2 Medium sized yellow onions
4 Garlic cloves
4 Whole gloves
2 Bay leaves
10 Peppercorns
1 Tablespoon sugar
A dash of salt
2 Cups of wine
1 Cup of red wine vinegar

Wash the meat and pat it try. Cut all the vegetables in 1-inch pieces, it doesn’t have to be exact, since it goes in the marinade.
Then mix the vegetables, spices, wine and vinegar together add the meat and put in a freezer bag or in an airtight container. Whatever works for you, just make sure your meat is covered with wine and vinegar and put in the fridge for a week.

Ingredients for cooking the Sauerbraten: 

2 Medium sized yellow onions
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons of fat
4 Tablespoons of raisins (you can’t leave them out if you don’t like them)



After one week, take your meat out of the marinade. DO NOT THROW out the marinade. Pat your meat dry. Add the marinade in a blender and mix well until there are no pieces left, you have now a fabulous sauce.
Add 2 tablespoons fat in a roasting dish. Turn your stove on to high heat and add the meat and onions and brown it for a couple of minutes each side. Then add the honey and the marinade/ sauce and lower your stove to medium/ low heat. Let your meat cook for at least 2 hours with cover and turn it every 30 minutes.

After the meat is cooked, take it out and place it on a cutting board. If your sauce/ gravy isn’t thick enough add some flour or starch to thicken it up. Mix it again with a blender or hand mixer. Add the raisins, if you want and let your gravy boil for a couple of seconds.
Slice your meat, add your gravy and enjoy it.


Kartoffelkloesse


Ingredients: 

1 lbs. of Russet potatoes
2 Eggs
Approx. ½ cups Potato starch
Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper

You need to cook your potatoes ahead, because they need to be cool for the pressing process. I cook mine usually the night before.
Wash and cook your whole potatoes with skin and some salt. When they are soften, peel them
immediately and let them cool down.  Add them into the press and push them through into a bowl. (It’s a little workout). Add eggs, spices and starch to the potatoes and Knead mixture in bowl until smooth dough forms, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky.

It is really hard to determine how much starch you need, since some potatoes are starchier then others. I would probably say a half-cup.  Form the potatoes in little balls and place them on a cutting board. Work in batches, cook dumplings in large pot of nearly boiling salted water 10-15 minutes (or until dumplings rise to top).
Use slotted spoon and transfer dumplings to large bowl.

You should place no more than 4-5 dumplings in your pot at any one time in order to prevent them from sticking together or touching during cooking, which will cause them to fall apart.


Rotkraut
 

Ingredients: 

1 Head red cabbage cut in small pieces
2 Medium sized apples, peeled and cut in small pieces
2 Medium sized yellow onions, peeled and cut in small pieces
2 Bay leaves
4 Gloves
1 Tablespoon ground all spice
2 Tablespoons honey or brown sugar
1 cup of red wine vinegar
1 cup of water
2 Tablespoons of bacon fat
Salt and Pepper to taste
Red wine to taste

Add the fat in a large pot and brown the onions. Add the cabbage and the other ingredients. Mix it well and cover. Let it cook on low heat for 1.5 hours and mix it every 30 minutes.
After it is cooked add some salt, pepper and some wine if needed.



















Monday, September 14, 2015

Tomato Sauce made with Jersey Tomatoes



Tomato Sauce Made with Jersey Tomatoes



New Jersey, the Garden State, is well known for its vegetables and fruits, particularly for its tomatoes.
Tomatoes have a high nutritional value; they are packed full with vitamin C.  They contain an important phytonutrient called lycopene that has been proven to help fight aging, as well as, contain anti-cancer properties.  It appears to be particularly effective against prostate and colon cancers.
Tomatoes stimulate the production of the amino acid carnitine, which has been shown in research to speed the body’s fat-burning capacity by over 30 percent.

I love tomatoes not just because of the high nutritional value, but more notably the variety in which they can be used.  One of my favorites is the little cherry tomato that is great for salsa or bruschetta.  Next would be beef tomatoes that are great sliced with some mozzarella cheese.  Lastly, plum tomatoes are great for making tomato sauce.

Everyone loves a good tomato sauce; unfortunately, store bought tomato sauces are high in sodium and sugars! 1/2 cup of tomato sauce could have up to 15 grams of sugar and 400-500mg of sodium.   According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars men should eat in a day is 150 calories (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons) and for women 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).  So by eating a store bought cup of tomato sauce, you might reach your sugar intake for the day. In order to prevent this and save your health a great idea would be to make your own tomato sauce.

Here is what you need to make your own homemade tomato sauce, and if done right the sauce will be able to store for months.


Ingredients

  •  25lbs of juice plum tomatoes, peeled and seeded (to peel, cut a small “X” on the top and drop in to boiling water for 10 seconds and drop in to an ice bath. Skin will easily peel off.)  (see “blanching” below) 
  •  ½ cup of olive oil
  •  6 medium onions, diced
  • 15 cloves of fresh garlic (or more to taste), finely minced
  • 4 cups of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 5 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves (or 3tsp dried)
  • 5 sprigs of fresh oregano (or 3tsp dried)
  • 6 bay leaves (remove when done)
  • 8 sprigs of parsley (or 6tsp dried)
  •  4 teaspoons of sea salt
  • 3 carrots (1/2 of that should be grated and added to sauce, the other half should be added at the end of cooking and then removed)
  • 3 tablespoon honey (or more to taste)


Instructions

  1.  Pour the olive oil into a large stockpot over medium heat.
  2. Add diced onion, garlic and grated carrots.
  3. Sauté for 6-8 minutes or until onions are translucent and tender.
  4. Add tomatoes, chopped basil leaves, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, parsley and sea salt.
  5. Simmer on low hear for 3-5 hours or until cooked down and starting to darken
  6. Add carrot piece for the last 30 minutes to absorb acidity.
  7. Remove spring of herbs and pieces of carrot
  8. Use an immersion blender to purée sauce until smooth.
  9. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.
  10. In the meantime prepare your jars. In order to sanitize your jars, I place them in the dishwasher and turn on the sanitize cycle. When your sauce is done, place the hot jars on a top of the kitchen cloth on the counter. With the help of canning funnel, ladle sauce into the jars, reserving ½ inch headspace. Use a nonmetallic spatula to remove any trapped air bubbles, and wipe the rims clean with a damp cloth. Place on the lids and screw bands and tighten. After a couple of hours you will hear a “popp” and your sauce is sealed. You can store them in the refrigerator to improve shelf life or in cold space.


Blanching

The skins of some vegetables e.g. tomatoes, onions, and fruits e.g. peaches and plums will need to be removed before they are ready for use in a recipe.
Otherwise, the skin’s texture can become chewy and rubbery after cooking, and nobody will enjoy that. Blanching is also used with some vegetables like asparagus, corn, peas, in order to keep their color vibrant once canned.

Instructions

1. Wash your vegetables or fruits under cool water.

2. Prepare and ice bath by filling a large bowl or your sink.

3. Fill a large stainless-steel pot two-thirds full with water and bring to boil over high heat.


4. Using a slotted spoon, gently place one item at the time into the boiling water.
    Boil for 30 seconds, remove the item with the slotted spoons, and immediately plunge it into the ice bath. Continue until each item has been blanched.

5. Peel of the skin of your vegetable or fruits, they should slip off easily.




6.  Cut the tomatoes in half and use your fingers in order to remove the seeds and also squeeze the tomatoes. The less water the tomatoes are having, the thicker and creamier will be your tomato sauce. Alternatively, you can use a food mill for this process.





Monday, May 11, 2015

Basil Pesto





I love using my homemade pesto, because it adds a Mediterranean flavor to any dish.  I also love to pair it with a glass of aged Chianti creating a Tuscan feeling.

It is simple to make plus it only takes a few ingredients.  More importantly it keeps well, so you can store in a sealed container in your refrigerator for weeks!!










Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil leaves
½ cup extra virgin oil
3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup pine nuts (you can substitute walnuts or pistachios)
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
¼ cup sundried tomatoes  (optional)
Salt and freshly grinded pepper to taste (I use 1 tsp of each)




Method:

Place the basil leaves, garlic cloves, pine nuts and sundried tomatoes (if you are using them) in your food processor and pulse several times until coarsely chopped.  I use a Ninja and it’s about 4 pulses.  Next, add your ½ cup of olive oil and cheese (if you are using cheese).  I use another 2-3 pulses to get it fully merged and smooth. Stir in some salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.


Get ready to incorporate a taste of Italy in almost any meal.

You can use pesto as a marinade for your chicken, beef or vegetables, or toss with pasta for a quick sauce or spread on a fresh French baguette.



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